(a) whether the Government has conducted any study on the achievements of RTE Act, 2009 after its completion of one year implementation;

(b) if so, the outcome thereof;

(c) whether free and compulsory education could not be implemented universally due to budget constraints;and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the areas where it could not be implemented?

Answer:

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. SHASHI THAROOR)

(a) & (b) The Government had made an analysis of the various achievements since commencement of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 in April, 2010, which is reported in the documents titled “RTE: The 1st Year”, released in April, 2011, and “RTE: The 2nd Year” released in April, 2012, giving the status of various educational indicators and the steps taken for implementation of the RTE Act.

(c) & (d) The Central Government has increased the outlay for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the main vehicle for implementing the RTE Act, from rs 19,838.23 crore in 2010-11, to rs 21,000 crore in 2011-12 and `25,555 crore in 2012-13. The 13th Finance Commission has also awarded additional earmarked funds to States for elementary education. The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and the States has also been revised favourably to a 65:35 ratio (90:10 for the North Eastern States, including Sikkim).